Republicans spar over Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims

Coming up on Good Morning San Antonio: A live report from Las Vegas, site of last night’s Republican debate.

That portion of the debate highlighted the growing rivalry between Rubio and Cruz, the two candidates who appear best-positioned to profit if the months-long Trump boom ever subsides.

Most candidates rejected front-runner Donald Trump’s recommendation to temporarily block all Muslims from entering the country, with some casting their opposition in pragmatic terms and others saying the proposal is immoral.

Donald Trump makes a point during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Venetian Hotel & Casino on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015, in Las Vegas. Bush described Trump as a “chaos candidate” who spouts off without thinking things through.

Trump was put on the defensive early about his plans to prohibit Muslim immigration, keep out Syrian refugees, construct a Mexican wall and deport 11 million illegal immigrants. “So Donald, you know, is great at – at the one-liners, but he’s a chaos candidate”.

“We can’t disassociate ourselves from peace-loving Muslims”. For Trump and Bush it was foreign policy that sparked at least one heated exchange.

Bush continued to aggressively attack Trump, but the GOP frontrunner consistently showed a dismissive tone toward Bush questioning his toughness and fledgling campaign.

Trump was asked about his contention that Cruz didn’t have the right temperament to be president.

Mr Rubio said of Mr Trump’s proposal, “It isn’t going to happen”. You can go back.

“I know you’re trying to build up your energy, Jeb, but’s it not working very well”, said the businessman, repeating his regular “low energy” jab at the former governor. He clashed with Marco Rubio on immigration and national security.

Ted Cruz speaks during his presidential campaign rally at the Fort Worth Stockyards on Thursday, Sep.

Mr. Cruz voted against Mr. Rubio’s bill in 2013, but Mr. Rubio has said they still share the same overall goals, including eventual legal status for illegal immigrants.

“There is nothing we are allowed to do under this bill that we were not allowed to do before”, he said.

“What I said in private is exactly what I’ll say here, which is that the judgement that every voter is making of everyone of us up here is who has the experience, who has the vision, who has the judgement to be commander in chief”, Cruz said.

With their back-and-forth, Cruz and Rubio left it to Jeb Bush and other GOP candidates to take on the front-running Trump. Cruz said his opposition was because the law allows the military to detain USA citizens without probable cause.

These comments represent a shift for Trump, who has threatened to leave the Republican Party on multiple occasions since he launched his campaign in June.

Rubio is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.